HRM council moves forward with FIFA bid

Halifax is putting its name on the list of cities vying to host part of the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

City council is voting to go ahead with the $25,000 bid application fee, although Events Nova Scotia expressed some hesitance at a committee meeting Tuesday, suggesting the city might be better served by holding off on the bid.

 Major events director Grant MacDonald says the deadlines are a bit tight. “Well, honestly, what I feel right now, is I feel like I’m late for work because we have a significant amount of work to do in a short period of time,” he says. “But we feel confident that we will be able to engage the public as well as stakeholder groups so that we can have an informed discussion as to whether this is right for Halifax and right for Nova Scotia.”

Despite the fact that the city has about three weeks to submit the application fee, MacDonald still thinks Halifax stands a good shot at winning. “We had been working on this process for months, and just in November, we attended a bid information session that was hosted by the Canadian Soccer Association and we’ve been working with the soccer community as well, trying to determine their interest and now from here we’ll start to engage other potential stakeholder groups,” he says.

 The host country will be selected in March 2011. Six cities from the host country will be part of the event. So far, eight Canadian cities, including Halifax, are expressing interest in the tournament.

If HRM is on the short list, the city will need to come up with $250,000 for value and kind services and then another $2 million for operating costs.

Top Stories

Top Stories

Most Watched Today